Why Did the Maya Pick 2012? Both the Triple Rebirth of the Sun and the Special Configuration of the Sacred Tree

My thesis is that the Maya picked the winter solstice of 2012 because of the triple rebirth of the sun and the special configuration of the sacred tree. Both together are important.

Although it is true that we will not be able to see the sacred tree at high noon because the brightness of the sun will obscure it, we will be able to see the Venus and Mercury rise just before dawn and we will be able to see Mars just after sunset. This means that we will know what the sacred tree will look like at high noon since it does not change very much at all throughout the day.

Venus Leads the Parade Across the Sky on This Special Day

I also want to point out that this is like a parade with Venus leading the sun across the sky over the Maya throughout this special day. The sun is the guest of honor and the other planets are paying tribute and witnessing this important rebirth. This is a spectacular astronomical event that would have most certainly captured the attention of the Maya! Let's take a look at the parade as it unfolds throughout the day.

Here it is just after dawn:

And here it is shortly after Mars rises:

Here it is a little later in the morning:

And here is what we have seen before, the sacred tree at high noon:

Here it is in the early afternoon:

And here it is about two hours later:

And finally, here it is about a half-hour before sunset. The parade is coming to a close:

By the way, I think that what the Maya could see with their eyes without a telescope is very important with regards to 2012. This is another reason why I don't think that John Major Jenkins's galactic alignment was important to the Maya; not only did the galactic alignment already happen in 1998, it is not something that you can see with your eyes.

But let's get back to the precision of the astronomical knowledge. While I cannot prove that the Maya really knew that the planets would be so beautifully balanced on the sacred tree on this day, no one can deny that the planets will indeed be configured as such. If they did this on purpose, they would have needed to know the cycles of the planets in relation to the sun as seen from earth. And they would have needed to know those cycles with a precision that would hold up over two thousand years. It is well known that the Maya did track the planets fairly accurately and that they especially held Venus and Mars in high regard. Were they doing this so that they could correctly select 2012, among other things? I think that that is a reasonable possibility.